A Wet Day on London Bridge, 1908

FM Bell-Smith (1846-1923)
Frederic Martlett Bell-Smith was born in London, the son of John Bell-Smith. He attended South Kensington Art Schools in London and The Academie Colarossi in Paris; he studied under both his father and Alexander Harrison. He came to Montreal in 1866, and worked as a photographer. He was a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists, Montreal, 1867. He lived and worked in, in Montreal, Hamilton and, and Toronto, making illustrations for newspapers and other periodicals. While in Hamilton Bell-Smith worked with James Inglis and L. Eckerson. In 1881 he began teaching, and was made Director of Fine Arts at Alma College, and was appointed Director of Fine Arts of Public Schools of London Ontario in 1882. Bell-Smith was also the principal of the Western Branch of the Toronto Art School from 1888-1890. Bell-Smith was featured often in the Canadian Illustrated News where he recorded local Canadian news events. In 1872 the artist accompanied Lord Dufferin to western Ontario. He traveled extensively to the Rocky Mountains under CPR sponsorship between 1887 and 1918, and joined the first CPR passes made available by William Van Horne. An accomplished artist Bell-Smith was made ARCA in 1880, and RCA in 1886. Bell-Smith is best known for his watercolour paintings of misty Canadian mountain peaks and glaciers as well as his street scenes and city-scapes of London.
“Early Painters and Engravers of Canada” J. Russell Harper. 1970
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